1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of data security. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method of preserving integrity of a data set undergoing post-processing operations.
2. Description of Art Related to the Invention
Over the last few years, there have been many advances in hardware and software designed for implementation within an electronic capture device in order to digitize sensory data (e.g., a visible image and/or an audible sound). Examples of an xe2x80x9celectronic capture devicexe2x80x9d include a digital camera, a digital video recorder, or a digital scanner. After being digitized, the sensory data may be immediately downloaded to a computer for storage on a hard disk drive. Alternatively, the data may be internally stored within the electronic capture device to be downloaded at a later time.
During storage or transmission, the digitized data is susceptible to illicit modification. Currently, digital signatures can be used to protect data integrity by ensuring that the digitized data cannot be illicitly modified without detection. Unfortunately, there is no scheme utilized by conventional electronic capture devices that supports modification of digitally-signed data without rendering its corresponding digital signature invalid.
The present invention relates to a system and method for preserving data integrity. First, a data set is provided. The data set includes data and a record. Thereafter, characteristics of post-processing operations associated with that data set are recorded into the record of the data set. In one embodiment, the contents of the records are used to verify whether the data has been compromised through unauthorized post-processing operations.